1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to customer controlled hotlines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Telecommunication customers frequently wish to establish communications with other people in an urgent manner. For example, a party that has sustained an injury as the result of an accident may wish to reach a spouse or other close family member as soon as possible. In another example, a parent may wish for a child to contact the parent at the earliest possible moment. In yet another example, an employer may want an employee to contact the employer without delay.
In a modern communications environment, many solutions exist in the prior art for notifying a party that another party desires urgent communications with the party. In an example of the prior art, a page, text message, or email message could be sent or a voicemail recorded alerting a party to a request for urgent communications.
Unfortunately, under many circumstances one party may be unresponsive to the other party that desires urgent communications. For instance, one party may neglect to check a message inbox or may otherwise be unaware of the urgent nature of the requested communication. As a result, the requested urgent communication goes unheeded.